The questionWhat do I need the device for?
is important to avoid errors in motivation when purchasing a mobile device.

For some people it’s not only about sheer specs, e.g. screen sizes, CPU frequency, or megapixels.

It’s also about

1 rejecting bells and whistles and focusing on tasks backed by the simplicity of the operating system

2 looking for build quality

3 getting more than just a device, an exciting history and fascinating leaders who have something to say, people with blood flowing through their veins

4 being a customer of a company which target isn’t selling your data

5 admiring a historically relevant company which changed the lives of many of us through constant innovation

6 supporting a company which takes care of our environment, feels responsible for labor conditions, creates lots of jobs, and delights people

It’s your decision, nine times out of ten.

Note
The restriction refers to the price of Apple’s devices.

But …
a smartphone is a personal device (comparable with a watch) and so the purchase decision is up to very personal preferences. It’s an object of interest but never a mocking stock or a case for a war with words. No need for vulgarness or otherwise running out of etiquettes.

Trolls, a new species of living organisms which came up with the launch of social networks, shouldn’t get a second chance here on Google+, the content network #1 (btw, credits to Google). These people patched their brain with a powerful filter mechanism which allows to ignore arguments of normal people using a device of a competitor. The Internet changed the way people argue. A phone might not seem to be something worth fighting over, but what it stands for most definitely is. A hardcore fanboy immediately turns into a hostage.
Hostages have no choice but to buy certain products. They are far less likely to care if one device is better than another. It’s the choosing one thing over another which leads to narratives about why you did it. If you have to rationalize why you bought a product, you will probably find ways to see how it fits in with your self-image. All of this forms a giant neurological cluster of associations, emotions, details of self-image and biases around the things people own.

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Our most personal device yet.
Our goal has always been to make powerful technology more accessible. More relevant. And ultimately more personal. Apple Watch represents a new chapter in the relationship people have with technology. It’s the most personal product we’ve ever made, because it’s the first one designed to be worn.

Agree to the headline

“Our most personal device yet”.

Do you also agree to my alteration

“Our most personal gadget yet“?

Each device you use should fit your needs. But there are not only needs when it comes to a purchase decision. Today’s electronic devices also have to stimulate the Play Instinct. Stats show us that smartphones are often exclusively used for playing games.

Some major tech companies offer a new processor-based product category, the SMARTWATCH.

The smart watch …

Here is what we find on Wikipedia:

A SMARTWATCH (or SMART WATCH) is a computerized wristwatch with functionalities that are enhanced beyond timekeeping. While early models can perform basic tasks, such as calculations, translations, and game-playing, modern smartwatches are effectively wearable computers. Many smartwatches run mobile apps, while a smaller number of models run a mobile operating system and function as portable media players, offering playback of FM radio, audio, and video files to the user via a Bluetooth headset. Some smartwatches models, also called watch phones, feature full mobile phone capability, and can make or answer phone calls.

Such devices may include features such as a camera, accelerometer, thermometer, altimeter, barometer, compass, chronograph, calculator, cell phone, touch screen, GPS navigation, map display, graphical display, speaker, scheduler, watch, SD-Cards that are recognized as a mass storage device by a computer, and rechargeable battery. It may communicate with a wireless headset, heads-up display, insulin pump, microphone, modem, or other devices.

Some also have “sport watch” functionality with activity tracker features (also known as “fitness tracker”) as seen in GPS watches made for Training, Diving, and Outdoor sports. Functions may include training programs (such as intervals), Lap times, speed display, GPS tracking unit, Route tracking, dive computer, heart rate monitor compatibility, Cadence sensor compatibility, and compatibility with sport transitions (as in triathlons).

Like other computers, a smartwatch may collect information from internal or external sensors. It may control, or retrieve data from, other instruments or computers. It may support wireless technologies like Bluetooth, WiFi, and GPS. However, it is possible a “wristwatch computer” may just serve as a front end for a remote system, as in the case of watches utilizing cellular technology or WiFi.Wikipedia

Facts about Apple Watch …

As usual I used a mind map to visually summarize what Apple publishes about the new product.

Feel free to download this map from my Box account.

The alternative file formats have been created with iThoughts for iOS (.ITMZ file format). Compatibility to other tools is limited. The DOCX file format is suggested for those who don’t use a mind mapping tool. The file contains the image as well as a detailed outline of all topics.

The screen is small and therefore it’s not designed for intense interactions. Benefits may come up when sensors constantly collect data which can be used for health and fitness or notifications are pushed to the watch so that users get informed about important events or mails.

Apple ad …

“See and feel what’s next on your schedule.”

Please tell me, what’s so important for me as a normal user that should be pushed to my wrist some seconds before I go into the details on my smartphone?

Apple ad …

“Sensitive enough to tell a tap from a press.”

Force touch distinguishes between a light tap and a deep press, and trigger instant access to a range of contextually specific controls … or a mode that allows you to select different watch faces – whenever you want. It’s the most significant new sensing capability since Multi‑Touch.

How many times a day do I change the watch face?

Apple ad ..

“Say it with feeling. Sketch. Use your finger to draw something quickly. Your friend on the other end can watch your drawing animate, then respond with a custom creation for you.”

Do I really have benefits if I replace built-in shit (Emojis) with handcrafted bullshit (Sketches)?

Here’s to the crazy ones. The gamers. The artists. The Emojis. The ones who like to block the more meaningful way to connect, aka calls or face-to-face conversation.

Honestly, this is just fun and people will try it out a few times and quickly forget this feature.

HealthKit …

HealthKit is Apple’s name of the interface developers can use to take advantage of iOS designed to process health and activity data.

According to Reuters, 14 major U.S. hospitals have rolled out trials for Apple’s HealthKit tool. 8 out of the 14 hospitals trying out HealthKit are on the U.S. News + World Report’s Honor Roll which ranks the best hospitals. As part of the pilot program, physicians will use the patients iPhone and iPads in order to monitor patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. This allows doctors to watch for early signs of trouble and intervene before a medical problem becomes acute.

Several hundred patients are being tracked, who are struggling to control their blood pressure. The devices measure blood pressure and other statistics and send it to Apple phones and tablets. As part of the pilot, Apple is also said to be evaluating the issue of privacy, as well as delivery. According to the report, Apple has recruited informal industry advisors, including Rana and John Halamka, chief information officer of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, to discuss health data privacy and for introductions to the industry.

Added values …

If the smartwatch is seen as a gadget we mustn’t query if there are added values when purchasing a constant little companion of a smartphone.

If we are focused on more essential things and are looking for something that makes our lives easier then the Apple Watch doesn’t really fit into our bag of e-loot. Not now. Maybe never because our eyes and our fingers won’t mutate into useful tools for taking control over a smart watch.

Summary …

Wether an electronic device is useful or not always depends on the

1 frequency with which we use it

2 acceptance of the UI and UX

With an evil eye I see

a fascinating design, a demonstration of what’s technically possible with miniaturized sensors and processors , the necessity of a periodic maintenance (daily charging and less frequent updating of the OS and apps), redundant notifications, an incredible small screen (although the world was eager for Apple’s new iPhone screen sizes), another electronic device which is on the way to take control of our daily life in a way that we listen to the device and more often forget those humans around us.

In some countries we already have courses for addicts named Digital Detoxing!

China already has an estimated 300 internet addiction centres, according to a report on state broadcaster CCTV’s website in February 2014. It also cited a survey showing there may be more than 24 million young Chinese addicted to the internet.

The city of Chongqing in China has reportedly set up the country’s first sidewalk for ‘mobile phone addicts’, with a lane specifically dedicated to those glued to their screens.

Are you also a web junkie using a smartphone more than 6 hours a day, go to sleep with your device right beside you, wake up and your very first activity is to glance on the screen?

Well, then it’s time to look for professional help.

The Apple Watch and all the other smart watches are unbefuckinglievable pieces of miniaturization but just gadgets with two exceptions:

1 using the device for taking care of the health of people who suffer from diseases which can be controlled and observed with reliable sensors

2 using the device as an expensive and quite overdressed fitness tracker

I’m not really convinced of this product category (as a normal user of iThings).
Apple’s competitors, especially Microsoft with Microsoft Band, walk on the same rocky road. People say that only Apple owns the power to bring a new category successful into the market. This time they will fail. The profit and loss account might look good but the relevance for us is that of a Game Boy which 8-bit model was discontinued in 2003.

In context with Microsoft Band the company says “Live healthier and be more productive.”
Well, living healthier cannot be delegated to an electronic device. We have biological sensors which shouldn’t be dulled. And being more productive can easily be done with an intense use of the brain.

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Some people think that personal success can be measured in bucks, clicks, +1s, or Likes.

So I won’t be surprised if somebody wants to visualize his personal value with a chart created with Apple’s spreadsheet app Numbers for iOS.

Here is the tutorial.

Step 1
Create a new spreadsheet within Numbers.

Step 2
Create a table (table 1, top left) and enter the months and the corresponding number of bucks or clicks in a month.
The last row should contain the sum. It’s needed to display the relative amount of success (the ratio bucks / total x 100).

Step 3
Create another table (below the first table). This table isn’t really needed but usually it’s worth to separate the data from its visualization.
Refer to the the first two columns of table 1 by using terms like ‘=Table 1::A1’. This will show the months and the absolute values of bucks.

Refer to Apple’s excellent help for this function and all the others to understand the parameters.

Param 1
the symbol you want to use for the bar graph

Param 2
the length of the bar (the monthly value in % of the total)

Use it and you will see that Numbers for iOS is perfectly adapted to touch screens.

Note
If you want to refer to a cell of an other table in a function, just tap on it instead of entering the table number and the coordinates. That’s perfect user experience, isn’t it?

Now your visualized success is always with you, on an iPhone, an iPad, or an  Watch.

I suggest to publish your stats quarterly on the internet like Apple does in its U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings.

Summary …

The usage of functions in Numbers is explained in meaningful helps.
An alternative is to enter the values in a table and use the feature Create Chart from Table. But that would be too easy. Always following the KISS principle doesn’t help you to improve your knowledge.